Research Project Choice: CROSSWALKS

Research Thus Far:
Location: legalcatch.wordpress.com
  • Rates (of pedestrian (ped.) of deaths) are higher in places with no crosswalks
  • 69% of fatalities are MALE
  • 5000 killed, 64000 injured every year
  • 11% are motor vehicle accidents
  • Over 180000 peds. have been killed by 1975 and 2005.
  • 2nd largest category of motor vehicle deaths are ped. deaths
  • Ped.s injured every 8 mins
  • Ped.s killed every 111 mins (1 hr 51 mins)
  • 2005- 4881 ped.s killed
  • 2005- per capita death rate was 1.6 : 100000
  • Higher in urban areas
  • 85.7% in urban areas, 14.3% in rural
  • 2/3 of ped.s fatalities occur on urban foods
  • 2005- 72% of deaths was in urban places
  • 2005- 65% of accidents are on non-intersections
  • Most collisions occur on Fri.,Sat, Sun in later hours
  • Young children and elderly are the most at risk
  • 2003- almost 1/4 of all traffic fatalities were Ped.--5 and 9 yrs old
  • 2002- 40% of ped.s were under 16 - between 5 and 9 PM
  • 2005- 35% was over 70, 21% younger than 70 ---> these are death rates
  • 85% chance of death at 40 mph
  • 45% chance of death at 30 mph
  • 5% chance of death at 20 mph
  • Brain/spine/bone injury, etc.
  • 1975, 11-17% injury in 2005
idea for technicalities/device of the cross walks... when the traffic light turns green, a bar (like the ones that go across train tracks at intersections and parking garages.) will fall across the cross walk and then when the light turns red the bar will lift up and the peds. will be able to walk across. there will be warnings like the ones they have now... the system its self (traffic lights) this will discourage people from crossing when they shouldn't and hopefully stop all together. they should be checked every 4-6 months (depends on the amont or lack of usage) one for each side of crosswalk two all together and in a four way intersection that would be 8 all together.